An Alternative Music Site

August 30, 2019August 30, 2019

Five Things We Liked This Week – 30/08/19

Further Listening:

5. Dreaming Of Coin

Following on from the 2017’s Edwyn Collins-produced debut, Permo, Spinning Coin are today releasing a brand new 7″ single, Vision At The Stars. Ahead of that release, this week the band have shared the video for the vinyl’s B-side, Not A Dream.

Penned by singer/guitarist Jack Mellin, Not A Dream is a very modern reflection on the dangers of being bombared with harmful information, as Jack explains, “people are educated to be close-minded, scared and selfish. The song is about trying to fall asleep, daydream and drop out of the world for a minute, but finding it impossible”. The track is laced with chunky-bass lines and steady rhythms, however it’s the Kiran Leonard-like ambition of the lead guitar that really impresses, all twinkling, mathsy wonder. A welcome return for a band who seem to exist outside of the whims of musical trends, Spinning Coin continue to sound like a band making music for all the right reasons.

Vision At The Stars is out today via Geographic Music/Domino. Click HERE for more information on Spinning Coin.

4. Molly Linen Takes The Softly Softly Approach

Rural Shropshire and the West End of Glasgow might not be two places that are obviously connected, that is unless you’re Molly Linen. Molly is set to release her debut EP, Outside, and many of the songs on it were inspired by both those locations, and her move between them. While we won’t hear the whole record until October, this week Molly has shared the latest taster from the EP, Soft As Love.

Soft As Love has a subtly different atmosphere to Molly’s previous single, Away, while that was a fizzing, guitar-led number, Soft As Love is an all together more downtempo affair. The whole track is underpinned by a meandering buzz of organ, sounding a bit like The Doors at half-speed, beneath which guitars, loose, almost jazzy-drums and Molly’s stunning multi-tacked vocals are given the freedom to truly express themselves. The result is a slice of hazy, brightly melancholic dream-pop, that would sound every bit as home in the 1970’s folk-scene as it does in the here and now. We may only be a few tracks deep, yet we’re already intrigued by Molly Linen, something in the melodies, something in the instrumentation, it all serves to draw you in, keep you coming back, and have you constantly wondering what musical gold she’ll pass our way next.

Outside is out October 4th via Lost Map. Click HERE for more information on Molly Linen.

3. Black Belt Eagle Scout Go On The Run

Today marks the release of the At The Party With My Brown Friends, the second album from Black Belt Eagle Scout, and in certain circles, one of the year’s most anticipated releases. This week ahead of the release, they shared a final track from the album, Run It To Ya, and its accompanying, “queer indigenous prom” video.

A track about, “the gentleness of love”, Run It To Ya, like much of Black Belt Eagle Scout’s output focuses on the experience of queer Indigenous womxn, here imagining a place they can be free of judgement and the long running effects of colonialism. Musically, the track is propelled by a delightfully odd guitar line, a frenetic string of notes at odds with the rich backing of steady drums and textural rhythm guitar. On Run It To Ya, as across much of At The Party With My Brown Friends, songwriter Katherine Paul takes a more personal and human approach, tackling her own experience, and presenting a positive image of, “the thriving lives of Indigenous people, and how we are often excluded from mainstream rock music and the media“. Following hot on the heels of last year’s Mother Of My Children, At The Party With My Brown Friends is further evidence that Black Belt Eagle Scout is becoming one of the most exciting and important new voices in music.

At The Party With My Brown Friends is out today via Saddle Creek. Click HERE for more information on Black Belt Eagle Scout.

2. Kate Davis Has Her Eyes On The Prize

We’ve said it before, and we’re sure we’ll say it again, Kate Davis is a really special songwriter. We interviewed her earlier this month, and discussed, among other things, her upcoming album Trophy, due in November on Solitaire Recordings. Continuing the building anticipation for that release, Kate has this week shared the talent show themed video to the record’s title track.

A jazz-musician turned indie-rocker, on Trophy, Kate seems to share yet another string to her bow. As listeners we’re greeted by muted, gentle electronics, and Kate’s playful, skipping vocal line, the whole thing builds on a muted, rapid-fire bass line before crunchy guitar lines lift the track out of Beach House territory, to a roaring insistent crescendo of energy. Lyrically, it’s littered with lust and longing, yet a deeper dig reveals something darker, the feeling that for all Kate’s pronouncements of missing this unidentified other, really it’s not them she wants, it’s the glittering trophy that represents them, “while I’m cleaning out the cup, you’re bleeding away”. While we continue the long painful wait to hear Kate’s new album in its entirety, these little snapshots are increasingly adding up to what will surely be one of the year’s most impressive debuts.

Trophy is out November 8th via Solitaire Recordings. Click HERE for more information on Kate Davis.

1. Sea Caves Make A Dart For It

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Sea Caves haven’t been heard from in the the best part of three years, since their well-received debut album, Bright Forest. Thankfully that’s all changed this week with the announcement of a new EP in the pipeline, as well as the release of their brilliant new single, Darts.

Discussing the inspiration behind the track, songwriter Shiloh Halsey has suggested it’s a song about the unsettling and sometimes necessary process of moving on with your life, a song about moving away and learning to understand what disconnection means. Sea Caves’ sound walks the line of dream-pop and alt-country, singer Sydney Rohrs lush, chiming vocals enhanced by a backing of shimmering guitars, pulsating bass and rich flourishes of piano. A hugely impressive return, we can file Sea Caves alongside the likes of Horse Thief or Neighbor Lady, on this evidence they’re well worthy of that exalted company.